Blog Posts by BellaSugar

BellaSugarSource: Second-Day Hairstyle: Hat Hair to Covet

Accessories can be your best friend when your hair just refuses to cooperate the day after a wash. There's no shame in just throwing on a hat and calling it a day, though, especially when your chapeau is as adorable as Alicia Keys's. But believe it or not, once your cap is on, there are ways to style your mane so it doesn't have to succumb to being smushed. An extra minute is really all you need to get hat hair as chic as Alicia's.

Start by parting your hair to the side and misting it with hair spray. Section off a portion of your hair from your part, extending to your ear on the opposite side. Now tie your strands back in any style you like (ponytails or buns work best), leaving the front section out of the elastic. Finish by applying a texturizing product, like Tresemmé Curl Enhancing Mousse ($5, originally $6), to give the loose hair some body and control. Then simply throw on your cap and go show off your haute hat hair.

Source: Beauty Refresher: How to Create a Three-Shadow Eye Look

When it comes to eye shadow, there are endless possibilities, often making it overwhelming to decide which colors to mix. So when in doubt, turn to this three-shadow template; it will consistently allow you create a look with depth.

Preparation: Choosing the Right Colors
When deciding on three colors to combine, try to choose elements from a similar color family that coincide with your skin tone. The lightest shade should be a neutral with a touch of sparkle (like champagne for fair skin and soft bronze for darker complexions). The middle shade is the color you want to shine most, but whatever color you pick, choose something about two tones deeper than your skin tone. That way it will look cohesive, but still pack enough punch to stand out. Finally, the darkest shade can be a deeper hue that matches your spotlight color, such as a dark plum if you're using purple tones. Or, you can select a dark brown or black.

Pull

Source: 3 Ways to Jolt Your End-of-Summer Hair Back to Life

While the good parts of Summer far outweigh the bad, warm weather can leave hair in a condition something less to be desired. "Usually at the end of August and around Labor Day, everyone is clogging the phones with, 'My hair turned green from the pool,' or 'My hair is superdry from the saltwater at the beach,'" says Alberto VO5 hair expert Chris Lospalluto. You don't have to start Fall off with frizzy, moss-toned hair, however. To see Lospalluto's three tips for giving lackluster strands a piece of your mind, read on.

• The chlorine fix: Before you whip up a magical batch of DIY chlorine remover at home, Lospalluto urges you to think again. "In terms of chlorine, I always recommend seeking professional help," he says.
• The dry hair fix: Whether you swim in the ocean, lake, or pool, or even just spend hours outside at a daytime cookout, water and sun don't always play nice with your hair. Enter: the hair mask. But

Source: The Freshest, Chicest Way to Update Your Hair This Fall

The Birkin bag? How about Birkin bangs? She's inspired a classic bag from Hermès, and now singer and actress Jane Birkin is the inspiration behind this upcoming season's quickest, easiest hairstyle update. While Fall may be the perfect time to enrich your hair color or get a whole new cut, if you don't want to make a huge change, adding fringe is a fabulous way to go.

"Refreshing your hair [for Fall] could be something as simple as giving yourself bangs," says Alberto VO5 hair expert Chris Lospalluto. "They don't have to be the straight-across Naomi Campbell moment; they can be a '60s-Jane Birkin where they're long and fringy." That way, you have options. They're long enough that you can easily pull them over to the side, but also short enough to look wispy and cool when worn down.

And to keep that wispy style from skewing stringy by day's end, Lospalluto recommends dry shampoo. "You just want something to soak up a bit

Source: Beauty Refresher: How to Clean Your Makeup Brushes

A lot more harm than good can come from not cleaning your makeup brushes regularly. Not only can you wind up with nasty breakouts, residue can breed bacteria, which wind up breaking down your brushes. To learn the steps to keeping your brushes (and complexion) squeaky clean, just keep reading.

Planning and Prevention
Since you should do a deep cleaning about once a month on brushes you use daily, the easiest way to make sure you're not spending hours cleaning them is to spot clean after every use. Wipe off your brushes after every use with antibacterial wipes (like the ones you'd use to clean your hands). This way it'll be easier to remove residue before it has a chance to settle into the bristles. This may take an extra couple of minutes now, but will save you loads of time later.


More BellaSugar: Fake an Airbrushed Makeup Look With This Easy Tip


What You Need to Deep Clean
Deep cleaning your brushes takes only two

Source: Longer, More Voluminous Lashes Are Within Your Reach

You've already figured out how to make your eyes look bigger, so now let's talk achieving longer, fuller lashes. Learn how to take your eyelash game to greater heights when you keep reading.

• Carefully line your upper water line with black eyeliner, making sure to smudge the pigment in between your lashes. This will make the base of your lashes appear thicker. If you want, you can also line right above the lashes; just make sure to keep the line thin and tight against your lashes.
• Blend a pearl-white shadow into the center of your lid as a contrast to your forthcoming dark mascara. This will allow your lashes to stand out even more.
• Warm up your eyelash curler, either by blasting it with your blow dryer for a few seconds or running it under hot water. Curl your lashes in two places: start as close to the base as possible without pinching your skin and then move the curler halfway up your lashes and curl again. This

Source: What We're Sweet On: A Scent That's Perfect For Everyday Wear

Picking a perfume is almost like picking a partner: you want it to be the perfect blend of sweet, sultry, and long-lasting, without the overpowering effects. Kiehl's Aromatic Mist in Vanilla and Cedarwood ($75) is a match made in heaven. The scent is light and creamy with hints of musk from the cedarwood, making it an ideal mix of the masculine and feminine.

Kiehl's has somehow concocted a perfume that's detectable to the nose, but that isn't obtrusive at all. A couple of spritzes before you walk out the door are really all you need, and it's complex enough to build into a fragrance that works for a night out, too. And the bottle looks like one of those old-fashioned medicine vials - perfect for display on your vanity counter.


Related Content:
10 Cool Facts About Olfaction
How to Spray Perfume in Your Hair (Yes, There Are Rules)
What We're Sweet On: A Concealer That Also Corrects


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Source: Beauty Refresher: How to Smooth Rough Soles

As Summer comes to a close, it's time to give your feet some end-of-sandal-season love and care. So before you bust out those boots and wool socks, follow these simple steps to say sayonara to cracked, aching feet for good.



Pull off Flawless Feed:

• The skin on your soles is thicker than the rest of your body due to heavy use (it has to stand up to your heel-wearing and foot-stomping ways, after all). That's why you'll want to soak your feet in a warm bath for at least five minutes to soften them thoroughly. You can even add an oil or milk to your soaking tub to increase the softness. In addition, an antiseptic essential oil (like tea tree or peppermint) can help to combat minor infections.
• Next, scrub the feet with a grainy exfoliator, such as a DIY mix of honey, olive oil, and coarse salt (or brown sugar).
• Rinse the feet and follow by using a wet pumice stone to smooth over rough heels and calluses. Don't apply too much